hile it's not exactly New Orleans, Phoenix, Los Angeles, or even St. Louis, here's the first of two parts of a Pretzel Logic look at my recent weekend trip to Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Maybe They Should Call It PriceLie.com
I always have very good luck getting hotel rooms through Priceline.com, so I was surprised when trying to get a Milwaukee hotel for the weekend. The website did not outright say that there were no matches for my $40 per night offer, but rather gave me a response that there were no Friday check-in dates available. Oddly enough, when I upped my offer to $50 per night a Friday check-in at the Milwaukee Hilton was available.
Is That Milwaukee Via Paris Or Paris Via Milwaukee?
I have to admit it was nice being able to stay at the downtown Milwaukee Hilton hotel for a bargain price, but I did feel sort of guilty that I was, in my own small way, making Paris Hilton a teeny bit richer.
What, No Beer?
Saturday morning I had breakfast at the hotel restaurant. Since I wanted something with a local feeling to it, I had the Brew City Omelet, which included 'jumbo sausage, smoked ham, bacon, and plenty of Wisconsin cheese.'
Davey Does Dahmer
I hate to admit this, but years ago I visited Milwaukee and a friend of mine who lives there gave me a tour of all the places where Jeffrey Dahmer used to hang out.
Sweet Home Caroline's
Although it is a straight place, Caroline's Jazz Club ( which also has live blues and Latin music ) is a very cool place, and I spent a lot of time there during the evenings I was in Milwaukee.
The Milwaukee Chamber Of Commerce Would Like A Word With One Of The Bartenders At Caroline's
While talking with a female bartender at Caroline's about my surprise that there were not more blues clubs in Milwaukee, she stated 'Trying to get people to come out at night in this town is just about impossible. It's such a square, dull, and boring place!'
Maybe A Constant Diet Of Sausage, Smoked Ham, Bacon, Etc., Is Bad For The Eyes
I walked into the men's room at The Triangle, a generic gay bar on National Street, and discovered what must be the brightest lights of any single room in the Western Hemisphere.
Camp It Up
The leather bar in Milwaukee is named 'Boot Camp.'
The Brew City Boot Scoot
There were more cowboy-booted guys at the Triangle on the Friday I was there than there were at Boot Camp ( which is just across the street ) earlier the same night.
Maybe A Constant Diet Of Sausage, Smoked Ham, Bacon, Etc., Is Bad For The Waistline
Saturday seems to be the night to go out to the gay bars in Milwaukee, and I saw so many bears at Boot Camp that night I didn't mind so much that I never made it to the Milwaukee Zoo.
One Clue: They Weren't Waiting For Goldilocks
Based on what I saw three bears doing Friday at Boot Camp, it appears that establishment is a friendly bar. Make that a VERY friendly bar.
It Might Still Be A Good Place To Eat
The Packing House is just a generic, non-gay oriented restaurant, and not -- and I repeat -- NOT a leather bar, in spite of its name.
Milwaukee's No Longer A Drag
Years ago when I would visit Milwaukee I always saw a large number of drag queens in every bar I visited, but I didn't see a single one this trip.
The City Of Milwaukee Is Now Closed. Will The Last Person To Leave Please Turn Off The Lights?
My favorite place to eat in Milwaukee, the M&M Club ( a gay owned restaurant/bar that was like a combination of Buddies and Gentry ) closed in May of this year. A cool antique store that used to be in Chicago, Danger City, moved to Milwaukee a few years ago but their phone was disconnected. A big used CD/record store I wanted to visit was closed the weekend I was up there. And another used CD store I wanted to go to had a phone number that was 'not in service.'
If your boots have ever camped out at Boot Camp, you can e-mail me at PretzelLogicDave@aol.com and tell me all about it.
